Each week, it is critical to scope out your league’s waiver wire to look for the best players to help your fantasy roster. The fantasy football managers who pay attention and pick up players at the right time can have a huge advantage when it comes to winning their league. The difference between bidding on waivers and FAAB is that with FAAB, winning the player is purely based on outbidding the other players in the league. However, it’s extremely important to be judicious with your FAAB budget throughout the season, considering it may need to last 14-17 weeks, assuming you end up making the fantasy championship.
Here is a list of players who you should keep on your watch list with projected FAAB amounts. For purposes of this article, the assumption is that your league uses $1000 FAAB.
QB:
J.J. McCarthy, Vikings–Many fantasy football managers seem to be non-believers in McCarthy; however, it’s important to remember that Kevin O’Connell was a former quarterback himself, and he has turned around the careers of multiple players, including Sam Darnold, Josh Dobbs, and Nick Mullens. McCarthy has a huge desire to be great and is way more mobile than people realize. FAAB: $30-35
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars–Lawrence struggled mightily last season under the tutelage of Doug Pederson. But now he gets Liam Coen’s explosive offensive play calling, which puts multiple players into upside situations. Lawrence is likely the best quarterback that people are not talking about this season. FAAB: $20-25
Daniel Jones, Colts–When Indianapolis signed Jones earlier this offseason, many thought that he would be the backup to Anthony Richardson, but the truth is, the Colts always intended to start him. What makes Jones more attractive than he seems is his mobility, as well as the terrific skill players that Indianapolis has. FAAB: $10-15
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins–People are overlooking Tua mainly because it feels like they are down on Miami as a whole. While this may be true, Miami should be trailing in most of their games, which will require him to pass plenty in the second half. FAAB: $5-10
Bryce Young, Panthers—Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales really helped Young improve in his sophomore season. Now Young is in Year 3 and the Panthers continue to get better as a team. They’ve added a true number one wide receiver in Tetairoa McMilla, and they added pieces to their running game to make it more effective. Young is a very good starter in a Superflex format and certainly can be used as a backup in most leagues. FAAB: $15-20
Russell Wilson, Giants–So long as the Giants remain competitive, Russell Wilson will remain their starter. New York has a terrific defense, and Wilson will play as much mistake-free football as possible. FAAB: $5-10
Cam Ward, Titans–The more you watch Ward play the more you see a player who shows a lot of potential. Week 1 will be a struggle considering Tennessee plays the very tough Denver Broncos defense but moving forward in Week 2 and beyond Ward should be on everyone’s radar. FAAB: $5-10
RB:
Cam Skattebo, Giants–There was a point this past summer where the Giants saw enough in Skattebo that they thought that he could be their goal-line and short-yardage back. However, he was injured during training camp, and he’s just getting his legs underneath him now. Look for the Giants to ramp up his snaps throughout the season and by Week 5 or 6 he should be the clear backup to Tyrone Tracy. FAAB: $50-60
Rico Dowdle, Panthers–One of the shrewdest offseason signings was the Panthers signing of Rico Dowdle away from the Dallas Cowboys. Dowdle was a very competent runner last year and brings with him a veteran attitude and ability to get 10 touches a game behind Chuba Hubbard. If anything should happen to Hubbard, Dowdle could easily move in and be the team’s starter. FAAB: $30-35
Ollie Gordon, Dolphins–Gordon was off most fantasy football radars after the draft because he went to a Miami team that had a very deep depth chart at running back. But just a few months later, Alexander Mattison is out for the season, and Jaylen Wright is dealing with an injury and may miss a few weeks of action. This puts Gordon into the RB2 role with the chance of significant snaps early in the season. FAAB: $75-80
Tahj Brooks, Bengals–It is clear after watching training camp that Brooks is the backup to Chase Brown and should be treated as such. If you smartly drafted Brown, you need to make sure that you have Brooks as the handcuff, making him worth a few dollars. FAAB: $15-20
Dameon Pierce, Texans–Nick Chubb has not been healthy in a couple of seasons, and with Joe Mixon’s injury still being very clandestine, Pierce might be the big beneficiary. Houston is going back to a running attack that benefits Pierce, and this might be his last chance in Houston. FAAB: $15-20
Woody Marks, Texans–Marks was a sensational receiving back in college at both Mississippi State and Southern California, and now he takes his talents to Texas. He has better receiving chops than Chubb and Pierce, so it would not be surprising to see him claim the third-down running back job as early as Week 1. FAAB: $20-25
Will Shipley, Eagles–Shipley is the backup to Saquon Barkley, and perhaps if he were on another team, he could have significant snaps because he’s a very underrated runner and good in the passing game. Anybody who is rostering Barkley should invest a couple of dollars in Shipley. FAAB: $10-15
Chris Rodriguez, Commanders–Most people are talking about Jacory Croskey-Merritt as the likely starting running back for the Commanders this season, however, it very well could be that Chris Rodriguez gets about 8 to 10 touches per week. Rodriguez is more of a grinder, but he’s very good in short yardage and goal line situations, and there’s a world where he could get about 5 to 7 touchdowns this year. He certainly worth a couple of dollars in standard league formats. FAAB: $10-15
Sean Tucker, Buccaneers–Rachaad White is not healthy to begin the season, and more importantly, the coaching staff is not happy with White’s game. They love Tucker, and the rumor around South Florida is that if anything should happen to Bucky Irving, it is Tucker and not White who would get the bulk of the carries. If you have Irving, then invest a dollar or two in Tucker on your bench. FAAB: $5-10
WR:
Troy Franklin, Broncos–This is Franklin’s second season, and many people may forget that he was Bo Nix’s favorite target back when they played together at the University of Oregon. Franklin supposedly has put on some more muscle and looked bigger and stronger in training camp, and the team just traded away last year’s 3rd receiver with the idea of giving that role to Franklin. FAAB: $15-20
Roman Wilson, Steelers–Wilson was out for the year with an injury last season and is now back with the team, and Aaron Rodgers has had a lot of great compliments for his ability. He is slightly undersized, and he’s not the fastest receiver around, but he runs great routes, and he knows how to get open. He could be a very good stash. FAAB: $10-15
Cedric Tillman, Browns–The good news about Tillman is that he is a very solid young receiver who is playing on a team that should be behind in most of its matchups, so there could be some significant garbage time production. On the other hand, he suffered numerous concussions last year, and if he suffers another one this year, he could miss some time. Buy at your own risk. FAAB: $10-15
Juju Smith-Schuster, Chiefs–With Rashee Rice out for the first six games of the season and with Hollywood Brown not at 100% the Chiefs are thinking that Juju will be either their WR2 or WR3 to start the season. While he’s no longer the threat that he once was with the Steelers he still knows how to get open and should be a pretty good player in the slot. Look for him to average about 3 or 4 receptions a week until Rice returns. FAAB: $10-15
Malik Washington, Dolphins–Washington is very under the radar right now. With Tyreek Hill dealing with an injury, Washington may be somebody who is a smart stash, as he is clearly the WR3 for Miami. FAAB: $5-10
Tory Horton, Seahawks–Horton was a standout in Seahawks training camp this summer. The team thought so much of him that they cut Marques Valdez-Scantling and named Horton the WR3. He has been dealing with an ankle injury, but he’s expected to be ready for Week 1, and he is an excellent stash. FAAB: $10-15
Adam Thielen, Vikings–Thielen has good short-term value as Jordan Addison is going to miss the first three games because of his suspension. FAAB: $25-30
Jalen Coker, Panthers–Coker was placed on the IR and is unable to play until the 1st Sunday in October. When he returns, he will be the Panthers slot receiver, and he is an excellent stash. FAAB: $10-15
Isaac TeSlaa, Lions—TeSlaa won the WR3 position in training camp as the Lions moved on from Tim Patrick, who was traded to Jacksonville. TeSlaa has an interesting combination of size and speed, but he’s still raw as a prospect. If you are rostering St. Brown and/or Williams, he could be a very good person to keep on your bench just in case. FAAB: $20-25
TE:
Theo Johnson, Giants–Johnson is an exceptional athlete with a lot of size and speed and could be a significant producer in the Giants’ offense. He was just playing a lot of snaps last year when he was injured and done for the season, and now, he expects to make a bigger splash in year 2. There’s a real opportunity for him to get about 60 receptions and six touchdowns in this offense. FAAB: $10-15
Brenton Strange, Jaguars—With Evan Engram in Denver, Strange is the new starter in Jacksonville. Strange is a very big target and could have a lot of usage in the red zone. He is a good pickup, especially in standard league formats where he could have 5 to 7 touchdowns this season. FAAB: $15-20
Mason Taylor, Jets–The Jets really have no second receiving option behind Garrett Wilson, and Justin Fields has always shown a propensity to throw to his tight end, so there is a world where Taylor could have opportunities early on in his rookie season. It might be worth investing a dollar or two in him before the rest of your league figures out how good he can be. FAAB: $10-15
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Panthers–With Jalen Coker on the IR for the first four weeks of the season Sanders will have more opportunities to get targets and should have a decent role in the Panthers’ offense. Now in his third year, Sanders could break through and show the talent that everyone saw from him at the University of Texas. FAAB: $5-10
A.J. Barner/Elijah Arroyo, Seahawks–With Noah Fant now in Cincinnati the top two tight ends in Seattle are Barner and Arroyo. Barner is an exceptional blocker who has decent enough hands and should get about 60% of the snaps. Arroyo, on the other hand, is a very adept receiver who could easily play on obvious passing downs. FAAB: $5-10 for both
Harold Fannin, Browns–The Browns really don’t have a true slot receiver, and there is talk that Fannin might be used in that role early on. He was not much of a blocker back in college, but he plays tight end more like a receiver, and he’s very tall and rangy. With the Browns likely losing in most of their games, Fannin could have a lot of garbage time production. FAAB: $5-10
